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www.independentweekly.com.au
9The Independent Weekly
November 6 - 12, 2009
Don Riddell
an independent voice
We're not very good at
arguments, or calm debates
for that matter. If something
important comes along most of
us are happy to tiptoe away and
pretend it didn't happen. Or, if we
can't do that, we bluster. If things
change, we're stuck with it. So we
get stubborn.
All of this comes on top of our
automatic response to anything
even mildly threatening. If we're
Tories, we snarl at all things from
Rudd or Rann and sigh at the weak-
ness of the wet liberals among us. If
we're True Believers, Turnbull et al
or Redmond/whoever will get the
snarl, with a bit left over for the mob
in the other faction.
Most of us have the good sense
to be neither hard Left or Right.
Unless the issue is important to
us personally -- say our own job,
or slow traffic, or the cost of food
or even the Port Adelaide Football
Club -- we can usually steer free of
any stressful thoughts.
Oh, some of us are argumenta-
tive, all right. But if forced to say
something, we tend to just blurt
out our piece and not listen for
any reply. Generations of having
everything sorted out by arbitra-
tion (that is, someone else making
the decision) have diminished
our instinct to unify in common
sense. And if we do get together, the
mighty influences of the law and
politics tell us to take up adversarial
positions. Don't seek sweet reason:
get stuck into the other buggers.
We've taken this to a fine skill in
politics. Our pollies nationalise or
privatise by instinct with furious
indifference to the actual needs.
And when the big issues come up,
there's a shambles. They rave by
rote, bluster without listening
and if it all gets too hard, they try
to tiptoe away. Just listen to any
Question Time in any Australian
parliament.
Two of the intractable problems
to face us -- climate change and
refugees -- have soared in rancour
but failed in resolution.
Climate change, in particular,
has displayed most of our national
tendencies. Months ago now, Kevin
Rudd called it "the great moral and
economic challenge of our time".
It was vital, he said later, "for the
future of our planet, the future of
our economy and the future of the
peoples of the world".
Wow. Stand back to be lashed by
laws, crushed by cuts, even a modest
riot or two. But rather than passion,
out came a plan to cut emissions by
only 5 per cent unless other nations
agreed to more. And, instead of
fire the fury to save the planet, the
Government seemed happy to shut
up and let the Coalition crumble
between those who sought action
and those who saw only business as
usual. Perhaps it truly would all go
away.
Amazingly, at the same time, vari-
ous agencies, including property
groups and insurance companies,
are happily issuing alarming
reports such as the sea rising by
about a metre and embarrassing
those thousands of us who live by
the sea. For them, at least, it's all too
real, man-made or not.
There's so much here that
should be argued logically and
constructively. If we're in danger,
what's the best way to go? Is the ETS
model right? Would a carbon tax be
better? Original ETS architect Ross
Garnaut wrings his hands as we get
twaddle on one side and confusion
on the other. Perhaps the interna-
tional conference in Copenhagen,
now only days away, will get the
process going.
And then there are refugees and
what we, as a decent nation, should
do about them? Rudd has been far
too emotional (people smugglers as
the worst sort of scum) and histri-
onic (unapologetic about making no
apology for being variously tough,
fair and humane). Foreign Minister
Smith and Immigration Minister
Evans have been better. The
Coalition, more through Sharman
Stone and the atrophying Philip
Ruddock than Malcolm Turnbull,
seem to froth for the Howard days
that sent them around the Pacific
before many of them came here
anyway. There's more debacle than
decency in the air.
Quite apart from how the latest
incident plays out, surely this is a
subject for deep but calm argument.
We can't let people die at sea. We
can't imprison children (although
dozens are pretty close to imprison-
ment on Christmas Island). And
we can't let a flood overwhelm
our ability to check the status or
provide the jobs and services they
need. We can't tiptoe away from this
one. We have to resolve it.
Here in SA, no one has argued
worse on law and order than
Kevin Foley's "rack 'em, pack
'em and stack 'em" thoughts on
prison reform. Attorney-General
Michael Atkinson's "pure evil" in
describing the criminal activities
of the so-called "Gang of 49" wasn't
particularly helpful. Worse was the
"little turds" thoughtfully contrib-
uted by the Opposition's Vickie
Chapman. Again, we need careful
thought, not feel-good slogans.
And, although it's now probably
too late, we really haven't had
a good thorough debate about
the future of the Royal Adelaide
Hospital. The decision to build a
new one on the Adelaide railyards
next to the Torrens really was
dumped on us.
Building on a new site without
all the noise, dust and splutter of
trying to renovate an existing hospi-
tal does have a strong attraction.
So does the ability to start without
any compromise on the design. But
the present site next to a network
of research facilities and the
University of Adelaide's medical
school has a lot going for it. So to be
convinced that there's not enough
space to rebuild there without an
almighty kerfuffle we need to see all
the evidence.
Yet the Health Department reck-
ons the evidence against rebuilding
is spread over 1500 documents,
would cost $10,000 to find them and
about $26,000 more to sort out the
complex bits. So how, one wonders,
did anyone get it all together to see
that it was not a goer? A suspicious
soul could be tempted into thinking
the thrill of the new would be easier
to find.
Then there is the unnecessary
tragedy of the Union Hall, a lovely
little building and one of the best
small theatres in Australia: fully
mechanised and fitted stage, foyer,
bar enriched by specially commis-
sioned Arthur Boyd paintings -- if
they are still there.
The University of Adelaide wants
a new Photonics and Advanced
Sensing Laboratory. Great, it needs
one. But to shoe horn it into its
too-squeezed space, it has taken the
soft option -- demolish the Union
Hall.
Now, the university's space
problem is not going to go away. It
will get worse. So it is time now to
seek a new campus, one to be graced
by the splendid new Photonics etc
lab -- and leave the Union Hall where
it is, and don't think of changing it
into a gloried lecture theatre.
Ask the Government to find the
space. It should give it something
worthwhile to argue about.
The loss
of sweet
reason
The RAH: the decision to build a new hospital really was dumped on us.
Photo: Kate Elmes
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